Witness For The Prosecution - Review

Witness For the Prosecution 

Review

Walking into the chamber in City Hall, the setting is perfect.  The audience form a semi-circle surrounding the stage in an intimate setting which enhances the atmosphere.

Agatha Christie's story begins with Leonard Vole being accused of murdering a widow to inherit her wealth.  Jack McMullen plays the young, naive Vole beautifully.

Vole's wife Romaine (Catherine Shepherd) is introduced early on.  We know he is besotted with her, but are his feelings reciprocated?  Is she saying what the QC wants to hear and is this the truth?  A vibrant and charismatic character that you feel you never truly understand.  Is she trying to save Vole from the hangman's noose or send him there?

Two excellent actors deliver the courtroom drama.  Back and forth, moving between the prosecution delivered by Mr Myers (Patrick Godfrey) to the stout defence  of QC Sir Wilfred Robarts (David Yelland) there is drama, passion and humour as we follow the proceedings.  The detective, forensics expert and housekeeper are all called to the stand.  They are as you would expect and perhaps slight stereotypes.

With each witness the lawyers battle to persuade us of their argument.  Is it as straightforward as Mr Myers would make you believe or do others have a motive for ensuring an innocent man is wrongly convicted?

I couldn't believe there wasn't a twist somewhere, and I was guessing throughout.  I cannot give away the ending, but it did not disappoint.  This is a must-see for anyone who enjoys a classy, well-acted play that builds up to it's conclusion beautifully and leaves you satisfied by an ending you did not expect.

https://www.londonboxoffice.co.uk 

A Long Time Coming

A LONG TIME COMING

I can't believe it has been 5 years since I last wrote, but the weeks became months, time has disappeared and now we are into the second half of 2017.

Life is different but paradoxically the same.  We are all older and some have bloomed, whilst others are ageing slightly disgracefully, but the craziness and chaos are never far away.

My twins are now 20, believing they are adults but without having quite got to grips with life, and sometimes even basic skills such as reading.  A prime example was Monday evening.  Twin sat at computer checking in for trip to a festival in Spain with friends and there is a pause, followed by an expletive.  His friends look up from their phones as he says "I read that the return flight was to London."  That's great I'm thinking as our nearest airport is Luton and we have flown back to Gatwick or Stansted. "I picked the airport beginning with an 'S'" he continues, "But it was Southend!" The flight arrives at 11pm, just that bit too late for the last train to London and making him reliant on the parent cab. What joy!

After relative peace for the rest of the week, my phone goes this evening.  I didn't recognise the number but when I answered it was my middle son telling me he'd left his phone in his friend's car when they dropped him at the station on the way home, and since getting on the train he couldn't find his wallet.  He was going back to our local train station and needed us to meet him as his oyster was in aforementioned wallet. Having approached a man who he thought had taken his wallet, and asked him politely to check his pockets, they were empty.  This wasn't actually the surprise he thought it would be when he later found the wallet in his rucksack.  I apologise profusely to the poor, unsuspecting passenger on the Metropolitan line.

Still mad and busy, not knowing what is happening from one day to another, but I wouldn't change any of it...... apart maybe from the 2 hours drive to Southend airport next weekend.